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SIMON BOLLINGER, O33 $O'UTH WHITLEY, INDIANA.

BLUE STOPPER.

Application filed September 5, 1924. Serial No. 736,067.

T 0 all whom it. may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON Bonmnonn, a citizen of the United States,residing at South lVhitlcy, in the county of Whitley and State ofIndiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FlueStoppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in flue stoppersand more particularly to an improvement on my former Patent #1,:303fi30issued August 5, 192%.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which may be effectively and securely applied to a stove pipeopening of any diameter in chimneys.

A. further obj cct of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which when secured in place will remain therein andeffectively carry out the purposes for which the same is designedwithout danger of casual displacement and further without permitting theescape of soot, gases, etc.

Still another object resides in providing an improved retaining meanswhich is capable of adjustment for accommodation to use in connectionwith flue openings of va rious diameters.

A further object resides in providing a device which may be knocked downand nested for shipment, which may be quickly and readily assembled, andone which is simple and durable in construction, inezc pensive tomanufacture, and very etiicient in use.

lVith these and other objects in view, my invention consists in thenovel features of construction, combination and arangement of parts, aswill be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in thespecification and claims.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application-- Figure1 is a vertical section through the invention applied to use;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the stopper re moved;

Figure 3 is a transverse section therethrough Figure 4 is a verticalsection as seen on the line 4t4; of Fig. 1.

In describing the invention It shall refer to the drawing in whichsimilar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views, and in which 1 designates a flue opening formed in astructure 2 of any character whatsoever. It will be understood that thisfine opening may be of any desired diameter as my invention is designedto cover the end of said opening and is so constructed that it may beadjusted for flue openings of various diameters.

My invention comprises a disk-like plate 8 of the usual or any preferreddiameter having a central opening therein, the greater portion of whichis crowned or arched and the outer portion l of which formssubstantially an annular flange thereon. This outer annular flangeportion 4 is provided with a plurality of annular grooves 5 whichobviously provide rigidity and strength. These grooves 5 also provideflat annular spaces therebetween which are adapted to contact with theend edges of flue openings of various diameters. Being fiat, thesespaces will contact snugly against the peripheral. edge of the flueopening and thus prevent dust, soot and gases from escaping therefrom.

This plate 3 actually forms the stopper in itself but, course, someretaining means must be provided to keep the same in place. Theprincipal features of my invention reside in this improved retainingmeans which will be hereinafter and more specifically described.

To this end I provide a spring metal strip 6 having a central openingwhereby a bolt 7 may extend therethrough as well as through the openingin the plate 3 to centrally secure said strip to said plate. This stripis constructed of suitable spring metal of a re quiredlength and breadthand adjacent its ends the inner face thereof is slightly grooved, asshown at 8, for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

This spring metal strip 6 is bent arcuately so that its ends aredisposed away from the plate 3 and applied to the bolt 7 is an eggshapedloop member 9, said member being constructed of a single strand of wire.The single strand of wire is looped and its ends overlapped in spacedrelation and the extreme free ends of said wire loosely lapped, as shownat 10, over the opposed overlapping end portion. Thus a loop member ispro vided which is obviously capable of adjustment by contraction orexpansion, and as this loop member forms an essential feature of theretaining means for my flue stopper, it is obvious that adjustment willbe made thereof according to the diameter of the flue opening to whichthe device is to be applied.

The overlapping end portions of the loop member being spaced enable thespaced portions to straddle the bolt 7 on the strip 6 and applied on thebolt over the loop member at this point is a clamping plate or washer11. A nut 12 applied to the threaded end of the bolt 7 holds theelements in place on the inner face of the plate 3.

The end portions of the metal strip 6 are adapted to contact with theside portions of the loop member 9 when the device is applied to use andit is obvious that the grooves 8 in said strip will receive the sides ofthe loop therein. The wire loop member 9 is calculated to force the endsof the metal strip outwardly for firm engagement with the inner walls ofthe flue opening, the sides of the loop resting or engaging the grooves8. The metal strip 6, which forms part of the retaining means, isdesigned to give greater friction to the device as it has considerablesurface with which to engage the walls of the flue opening.

111 assembling the flue stopper the bolt 7 is put in place in the centerof the disklike plate 3. The metal strip 6 is then applied over the boltto the inner face of the plate and the wire loop member 9 is thenapplied to the bolt so that the overlapping portions straddle said bolt.Then the washer or clamping plate 11 is applied to the bolt. The wireloop member is then compressed or expanded to suit the size of the lineopening to which the device is to be applied and the nut 12 is thenturned home on the bolt to secure the elements to the plate 3. The endsof the metal strip 6 are then bent against the sides of the wire loopmember 9 and the flue stopper is then ready for use.

From the foregoing description of the construction of my improveddevice, the operation will-be readily understood, and it will be seenthat I have provided a simple, inexpensive and efficient means forcarrying out the objects of the invention. i

While I have particularly described the elements best adapted to performthe functions set forth, it is obvious that various changes in form,proportion, and in the minor details of construction may be re sortedto, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theprinciples of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a flue stopper, a plate, a spring metal arcnate strip applied tothe inner face thereof, said strip having grooves formed on the innerface of the same adjacent its ends, a resilient loop member applied tothe plate within said arcnate strip and capable of contraction andexpansion, the sides of said loop member being adapted to contact withthe grooves in said strip, and means for removably securing said loopmember, strip and plate together centrally.

2. In a fine stopper, a plate, an arcuate spring metal strip applied tothe inner face thereof, a loop member formed of a single strand of wirehaving its end portions ar ranged in spaced overlapping relation, theextreme free ends of said wire being loosely lapped over the opposed endportion of the wire to permit of contraction and expansion of said loopmember, and means for securing said loop member, strip and platetogether centrally.

In a fine stopper, a plate, a bolt extending centrally therethrougln anarr'uate spring metal strip applied on said bolt to the inner face ofsaid plate, a resilient loop member formed of a single strand of wirehaving its end portions arranged in overlapping relation and straddlingsaid bolt on the inner face of said strip, the extreme free ends of saidwire being loosely lapped over the opposed end portion of the wire topermit of contraction and expansion of said loop, a clamping plateapplied to the bolt over the spaced portions of said wire, and a nutapplied to the end of said boll, as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I a'tlix my signature.

SIMON BOLLINGER.

